The state of Michigan takes pride in its program for catching and incarcerating deadbeat dads. It's the only state that classifies failure to pay child support as a felony with penalties as severe as the possibility of four years in prison and a $2,000 fine.
The program has now ensnared a man who was once another object of Michigan pride: Jimmy King, a member of the University of Michigan's celebrated Fab Five basketball teams of 1991-92 and 1992-93.
Jimmy King played in the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy golf outing in July.
King, 38, was arrested a month ago for failing to pay nearly $17,000 in support for a son who is a senior in high school.
The situation is complicated. The custody litigation was in Kansas. The boy, Jalen, resides in Texas with a grandmother. The charge against the father is in Michigan. It's like a law school exam question in a particularly boring and useless course taught in all law schools and known as "Conflict of Laws." The conflicting laws of the three states produce a conundrum that is a joy for professors and the bane of students in law schools everywhere.
For King, however, the case should be simple, according to his attorney. "If he had the money, he would pay it," Jeffrey Abood said. "He wants to and will pay the money."
At a court hearing in Oakland, Mich., on Thursday, King reported that he has found a job after nearly a year of unemployment and intends to formulate a plan to make installment payments on the arrearage. According to Abood, King also has arranged to move Jalen to Jimmy's house in Southfield, Mich., and, in accordance with Jalen's wishes, to enroll Jalen in the local high school.
A spokesperson for Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette, who orchestrated King's arrest, supported King's plans, explaining "Our goal is to use the criminal charge as leverage to establish a regular schedule of payments, with jail only as a last resort."
It's easy to see why the authorities in Michigan are so proud of their deadbeat dad program. It seems to work.
Questions or Comments? Contact Clinton Van Nocker at clint@aboodlaw.com
The program has now ensnared a man who was once another object of Michigan pride: Jimmy King, a member of the University of Michigan's celebrated Fab Five basketball teams of 1991-92 and 1992-93.
Jimmy King played in the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy golf outing in July.
King, 38, was arrested a month ago for failing to pay nearly $17,000 in support for a son who is a senior in high school.
The situation is complicated. The custody litigation was in Kansas. The boy, Jalen, resides in Texas with a grandmother. The charge against the father is in Michigan. It's like a law school exam question in a particularly boring and useless course taught in all law schools and known as "Conflict of Laws." The conflicting laws of the three states produce a conundrum that is a joy for professors and the bane of students in law schools everywhere.
For King, however, the case should be simple, according to his attorney. "If he had the money, he would pay it," Jeffrey Abood said. "He wants to and will pay the money."
At a court hearing in Oakland, Mich., on Thursday, King reported that he has found a job after nearly a year of unemployment and intends to formulate a plan to make installment payments on the arrearage. According to Abood, King also has arranged to move Jalen to Jimmy's house in Southfield, Mich., and, in accordance with Jalen's wishes, to enroll Jalen in the local high school.
A spokesperson for Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette, who orchestrated King's arrest, supported King's plans, explaining "Our goal is to use the criminal charge as leverage to establish a regular schedule of payments, with jail only as a last resort."
It's easy to see why the authorities in Michigan are so proud of their deadbeat dad program. It seems to work.
Questions or Comments? Contact Clinton Van Nocker at clint@aboodlaw.com
